Twenty Years
by sashayfields
Summary: Spencer and Mary talk about the past twenty years. Questions are answered, secrets are revealed, and relationships are strengthened. Set during 7x20


**A/N** **: Hey guys, I just wanted to start out by letting you know that I am so close to finishing the next chapter of An Ounce of Hope so that should be up sometime in the next two weeks! So don't give up on me yet, I promise you more new content is coming soon!**

 **But in the meantime, I wrote this oneshot as a birthday present for my good friend Tori, (even though it's like a three days belated birthday present because I'm never on time with anything), and I figured I'd share it with the rest of you while you wait for my main fic to update. Anyways, go check out Tori on twitter ( sacredtroian) and wish her a belated birthday if you want!**

 **Without further ado, enjoy the oneshot!**

* * *

Spencer glanced up when she heard rustling from outside of her cell. She wiped her eyes, and got up so she could investigate, when an all too familiar whirring sound filled her ears.

Standing behind the once closed metal wall was the woman she knew as her mother, her biological one at least. Veronica would always be her mother, no matter what. This woman was pure evil, she had helped Alex lock her up down here, and now it appeared she wanted trust?

"What are you doing here?" Spencer asked coldly, remembering the woman's obvious betrayal. She rubbed her neck as it was still sore from the syringe Mary had stuck in it.

"I figured we could eat lunch together." Mary responded with a sad smile. Alex had trapped her down here too, just like she had trapped Spencer, if only the girl could see that. She hoped her plan would work as she stuck the plate of food in the open hole and sat down in a chair across from the cell.

Spencer looked between the plate of food and Mary, cautiously gauging whether she should accept it or not. Mary didn't seem like she cared either way, but still seemed a little apprehensive, as one might when they were in this situation.

Upon seeing Spencer frozen in place, and hearing no conversation being started, Mary took the liberty of starting it herself. "I took a lover in Peru who, owned a little restaurant that made the most exquisite saltado de pollo." She took a bite of the meal she had made quite skillfully. Spencer stepped forward to grab the plate off the ground, now realizing she had nothing to lose. "I'm the only person she ever shared the recipe with."

Spencer elicited a hum of surprise at the statement Mary had just made. Between the fact that she had been on the run in Peru and co-owned a restaurant, and the fact she had a female lover, Spencer was more intrigued than ever. She sat down on the bed in silence and allowed Mary to continue.

Mary took Spencer's silence to mean she was curious to hear more, and thought back to her happier moments with her girlfriend in Peru. They were reckless, carefree, and the city was truly amazing. "She was beautiful, a tall, slender woman, much like myself, though not as pale, her skin was more olive colored. She had beautiful hazel eyes that you could just stare into for the rest of your life, and never get tired of them, and her light brown hair was just long enough to run your hands through."

Spencer raised her eyebrows at this description, she could nearly picture the woman Mary was describing, and that woman just so happened to have similarities to her own mother, Veronica Hastings. Truthfully, Spencer had suspected the two had a past for some time. From the way Mary talked about her, to the way she smiled when Veronica was mentioned in conversation. It just all seemed too convenient now that she was finding out Mary was bisexual.

"And her cooking, it was just as perfect as the rest of her, don't you think?" Mary asked her still silent daughter, wondering what thoughts were running through her head, and when she might discover the note.

Spencer finally opened her mouth to speak, moving the food around with her fork. "Well the food's pretty decent, but I don't know much about the woman so I can't judge." A slip of paper was unearthed from beneath her chicken, and she was about to say something about it when she caught sight of the woman's expression.

Mary laughed, covering their sudden pause in conversation as she watched Spencer unfold the paper, "She was stubborn, and very outspoken. When she set her mind to something there was no stopping her. She was driven, loved her work in the restaurant, and never let anything phase her. She had a hard front, but once you got to know her she was the most caring and kind person." She thought for a moment, looking back to Spencer who had just read the note. "I guess you could say, I loved her because she was as close to normal as you could get."

Spencer slipped the note under her pillow, now understanding that a plan was in motion. It wasn't a very good plan, but she didn't have much of a choice. Despite all of this, she couldn't help but notice that even while describing the Peruvian woman's attitude, Mary had the same look in her eyes that she did while talking about Veronica.

"I loved her, and I lost her, that's usually how the story goes." Mary explained, her once bright eyes fading into a dull sadness. "I only ever felt true love like that once before."

Spencer figured, now that she knew Mary wasn't trying to hurt her, that it was a good time to ask her questions. She bit her lip and realized Mary was right, she really was inquisitive. "This, other true love, can you tell me about him?" She said 'him' on instinct, her hand flying to her mouth as she realized the mistake she had made. "I'm sorry, I just–" she stopped as she realized the woman wasn't affected by this.

Mary moved her chair forward, happy to see that her daughter had finally taken interest in what she was saying, even if it was probably fake interest to keep the ruse up. "No, don't apologize, it's only normal for you to be curious, and confused." She realized she had just come out to her daughter without intending on it. "I haven't thought about my sexuality in such a long time, I must've slipped up without realizing it. I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable."

"No, you didn't make me uncomfortable." Spencer said, shaking her head as she realized how horrible she had sounded. "I just figured between my father, and Charlotte's father…"

Mary really couldn't blame Spencer for not seeing her bisexuality, she had so many other relationships with men that she seemed straight as a ruler. "Peter and Ted were never true love, they were a one night stand, a distraction to help me forget my problems." She explained, "They were horrible men, but even though they meant nothing, my children meant everything."

Spencer noticed the familiar melancholy look in her mother's eyes, the same one she had seen many times before when she looked in the mirror. It seems she had gotten a lot of things from Mary.

She put her hand up against the glass, the closest thing she could get to holding the woman's hand. "I'm sorry, if this brought up bad memories." She hadn't intended on causing the woman pain.

"Losing the person you love is even worse when you know you lost them because of your own mistakes." Mary stated, wiping her tears before putting her hand against the glass to touch Spencer's. "I never even got to hold you, much less talk about relationships with you." The older woman said, her voice breaking.

Spencer nodded, realizing how cheated they had been out of a relationship, a life together. This conversation wasn't just an act to her, it was real, the pain she felt for Mary was real. "I could really use a hug from my mom right about now." She said with a sad smile, tears forming in her eyes.

Mary wanted more than anything to open the door, and knew she eventually would, but she needed to make it sound like she was hesitant, and hoped Spencer understood. "If you got out, she would never forgive me." She said through the little hole in the glass wall, she could almost feel their hands touching through it.

Spencer pulled her hand away, understanding what was happening. "I understand, you care more about one daughter than the other, you don't even trust me." She got up and hid her face from any view of cameras, holding her hands to her face and letting out the most realistic sobs she could.

Mary couldn't stand to hear her daughter cry any longer, even if it was fake. She sprang up from her seat and typed in the five digit code to the cell, watching as the door sprang open.

Spencer turned around, having been able to produce some tears. She faced Mary now, the woman's eyes looking pained and urgent, as if she had something to communicate.

Mary moved forward into the cell, not having to wait long before Spencer practically collapsed into her arms. She caught her, holding her tightly for the first time. Spencer sobbed out into Mary's arms, feeling her tiny body shaking with sadness and fear in the warm, strong embrace of her mother. "Thank you, Mom."

"I'm going to get us out of here, I will hold you again. But you need to trust me and follow the plan." Mary promised, giving her daughter another moment or two to bask in the feeling of the embrace, and take in the information she had been given, before pulling away and looking at her endearingly. She moved a piece of hair out of Spencer's eyes, using her thumb to wipe a tear. "I love you, and that's why I have to do this, you understand that right?" She said louder now, hoping the cameras would pick it up.

Spencer's hands were shaking as she held Mary's arms tightly, "I love you too, but you can't expect me to understand why you're doing this to me."

They both heard the five beeps of numbers being entered into the keypad next to the cell door, and realized that they were trapped again. The door locked just as Spencer threw herself into it, cursing as she blew out her left shoulder. "Goddammit!"

Mary looked up and saw her other daughter on the other side of the glass wall, clapping her hands slowly, menacingly. "Congratulations, that was a truly spectacular performance."

Spencer was lying on the floor, holding her dislocated shoulder as it seared with pain, frankly, she realized they were screwed. The plan had been a horrible one to begin with, no wonder it had failed. "Thanks, I'll take my oscar now." She said, wincing with pain.

"Need my help? I could pop that right back into place…"

Mary stepped forward, picking up Spencer off the ground, and helping her over to the bed. "I think you've done enough, Alex." She snapped, angry that had her plan had failed and gotten Spencer hurt in the process.

"You betrayed my trust mum, and now you get to spend the rest of the short time you have left in this dungeon with Spencer." Alex said with a small chuckle, looking between her obviously hurt sister and enraged mother. "Hey sis, why don't you ask her about that true love of hers, it's a mighty interesting story."

Mary let out an exasperated sigh, "What's it to you?" She had just finished laying Spencer down on the bed, resting her arm carefully.

"If I play my cards right, she'll be joining you shortly." Alex said with a smile, knowing that this would get a reaction out of her mother.

Mary turned from Spencer and ran up to the glass, pounding her fist on it and causing Alex to jump back with a laugh, giving her the reaction she wanted. "My, aren't we getting feisty?" She moved over to the keypad, but Mary yelled out stopping her.

"If you hurt her I swear to god I will get out and I will kill you!"

Spencer was surprised to hear such a sudden outburst from her mother, the woman cared for both her and Alex, and she knew that. Whoever this woman she loved was, she obviously didn't want her hurt.

Alex finished typing in the numbers, watching as the iron wall slid shut, "I'd like to see you try."

Silence filled the room as they heard Alex's footsteps retreat down the long hallway of her self-made dungeon. Spencer was lying on the bed, her eyes shut tight from the pain in her arm. She tried to move, to stand up, knowing that if she stayed lying down they would get nothing done and would be sitting ducks just waiting for impending death.

Mary moved forward, kneeling down to get on her level. "Don't move darling, it'll only make it worse." She could sense Spencer's anxiety, how much she wanted to do something, anything.

"I can't just lay here, Mary, that's me giving up, and I don't give up." Spencer said, attempting once again to sit up, succeeding this time. She tried to move her arm, which was still hanging out of its socket.

"Spencer, there's no way you can fight with that arm." Mary explained gently, helping the girl to steady herself.

Spencer nodded, knowing that her mother was right, "That's why you're going to pop my arm back into its socket, so I can fight." She watched as Mary's eyes widened.

"I'm not a medical professional, I don't know how to do that properly." She said, throwing her hands up and shaking her head. "I don't want to hurt you, I've done that enough."

Spencer understood that completely, but she didn't have much choice left. She would teach Mary how to do this, and pray the woman didn't break her arm further. "I'm going to lay down, and you're going to take my arm and pull it away from my body at a ninety degree angle, can you do that?"

Mary was still hesitant, "Spencer, this is insane. And you know I don't use that word lightly."

Spencer didn't seem to hear her, she laid flat on her back. Mary sighed, knowing that this wasn't a choice any longer, she had to do this, she had to at least try. She pulled Spencer's arm away from her body and angled it ninety degrees, as she was instructed. "Okay now what?" She asked, sucking in a breath.

"Now." Spencer began, gritting her teeth at the pain. "Pull on my arm slow and steady, try not to jerk it. If it works, my humerus will slide back under my shoulder bone and snap back into its socket." She explained, closing her eyes as she realized this would probably go terribly wrong.

Mary didn't like the sound of that, it sounded like too many bones she could break, too many things to possibly go wrong. "How will I know if it works?"

"Well, you'll hear a huge clunk, and that means you didn't break my arm." Spencer said, biting her tongue as she felt the pain increase. "Now please, just do this, the pain is killing me."

Mary grabbed Spencer's hand, placing another hand on her forearm and slowly but steadily pulling it out and back into its socket with relative ease. She heard the loud clunk that Spencer had described, and felt as the girl sighed in relief.

"Are you alright?" Mary asked, wiping the sweat off her brow and tucking a piece of hair behind Spencer's ear.

The girl sat up slowly, moving her arm as the pain had decreased massively. "You did it." She said with a surprised chuckle, realizing that either Mary had done this before, or she was just good at receiving instruction.

"Now what?" Mary asked, having seen that Spencer's arm was back to its normal position and she was back to her old self. She watched as a light popped on somewhere behind Spencer's eyes, she could see her mind working like a machine.

She ran a hand through her hair, checking for any clips or pins that she could find, upon finding nothing she reached into her pocket and found it empty. "Of course, she emptied my pockets and took the pins out of my hair!" Alex really was just as smart as she was, if not smarter.

Mary felt a twinge of sadness as she watched Spencer put her head in her hands and mutter to herself. "Think Spencer think, you are smarter than her, you can do this. You'll get out, you'll go home to Alison, Emily, Lily and Grace. You'll finally be able to tell Aria how you feel because it'll all be over, you can do this."

"Lily and Grace?" Mary asked, although she had debated asking about Aria.

Spencer looked up, realizing that the woman had been in jail and hadn't known much about her life. "Lily and Grace, Emily and Alison's twins, my godchildren." She explained, watching as a smile grew on Mary's face, she ran a hand through her hair, pushing it back as happiness set in.

"They finally got together, and had twins?" She wiped a tear falling down her face, as she realized that Alison had finally found her happy ending.

Spencer looked up, about to respond to her mother's happiness when she realized what Mary had done. "Your hair, there's a bobby pin in your hair!" She yelled with excitement, reaching forward and pulling out the pin that was hanging from the woman's long brown strand of hair she had just pushed back.

"Wait, what are you planning on doing with that?" Mary asked, not seeing realistically how her daughter was going to pick the lock of a huge electronic door, and somehow override a metal wall, with a small bobby pin.

Spencer smiled at her mother's lack of faith in her skills. "I'm going to pick the lock, open the door, and then when Alex opens the wall we'll already have one up on her, she won't see it coming."

"The element of surprise." Mary said with a smile, "Who taught you that?"

Spencer thought back to the Team Sparia days and her original investigations with her tiny friend and crush. "Aria, I've known her since we were kids, and I love her." She said with a simple smile, a blush growing on her face as she moved to focus on the lock.

Mary raised her eyebrows, "Aria, isn't she the one getting married?" She realized that Spencer was setting herself up for heartbreak, falling for a married woman.

"To her english teacher and predator, yes, don't remind me. The whole thing screams Stockholm Syndrome to me." Spencer said with a bitterness to her voice, her movements with the bobby pin increasing speed as she let her frustration show. "What about you?" She asked. "What about that true love Alex said she was going to kidnap?"

Mary looked away from her daughter, looking down at her own fidgeting hands. "I don't know if now is a good time to bring that up."

"We're about to fight to the death with my evil twin, I think now is as good a time as any." Spencer argued, finding her mother's reasoning amusing to say the least.

Mary smoothed her hands on the bed cover, trying to stop them from sweating with nerves. "I just, I'm worried about what you're going to think."

"I just told you that I'm in love with my best friend who's getting married to her english teacher, and you're worried that I'm going to judge you?" Spencer asked her mother with a small chuckle, hoping she realized how ridiculous she sounded. She heard Mary sniffle, and turned to face her, pausing her lock picking. "Hey, I'm sorry."

Mary noticed she had caused the girl to stop working, "Keep going, we need to have that door open in order for our plan to work." She watched with a sigh as Spencer didn't listen, and sat down next to her on the bed. "I'm your mother, you really should listen to me."

"That's exactly what I'm doing, listening to you as you tell me who this woman is." Spencer said, knowing that if she was right this could be a monumental change in both of their lives. "Whoever it is obviously means a lot to you, and if Alex is planning on kidnapping her, I think I deserve to know the truth."

Mary could read the expression on her daughter's face, "But I know you, and I can tell you already have your own ideas." Spencer was very observant, always had been, and she knew her daughter could see right through her.

Spencer nodded, "But I think I'd rather hear yours first." She watched with a smile as she could see Mary finally start to give in.

"Fine." Mary said with a sigh, "I'll tell you the story, from the beginning, it's not very long."

Spencer took a deep breath, ready to hear about Mary's past with the woman she suspected was her other mother.

"It all started in New York on a brisk fall night."

* * *

 _20 years ago._

 _Mary walked down the dimly lit streets of New York, knowing that it wasn't a good idea to be walking late at night, not in the city that never sleeps. She could be mugged, raped, or murdered at any point while strolling down this street, but she could just as easily be recognized in the day._

 _She felt a shiver run through her body as a cool breeze whispered past her ear, a faint voice carried by that whispering wind._

" _Please, please don't do this!"_

 _It was a voice of a woman, a young woman who sounded very distressed. Mary took a deep breath, knowing that the voice was coming from the alley across the street. She told herself to just keep walking, she didn't need any more trouble than she was already in, but another part of her knew she had to help._

 _She dialed 911, briefly explaining to the authorities her location and what she believed she was witnessing. She knew they weren't that efficient in New York, and that if she waited any longer the woman might be killed._

 _Mary crossed over to the other side of the street, nearing the alley without actually venturing down it. It was dark, and now she could hear the voices clearly._

" _Please, I'll give you anything you want! Money, jewels, whatever! Just please don't kill me, I have kids, two little girls!"_

 _She recognized the distressed woman's voice, but she still couldn't place it. It was like a voice she had once heard in a dream, or maybe in her travels between mental asylums, or just walking down the street in one of the many cities she had been in during the last ten years._

 _Two male voices, husky and quite boisterous, replied. "Lady, you think we care about the kids you got at home?" One voice said with a chilling laugh._

" _We got a family too, and this is how we provide for them." The second one said._

 _Mary's eyes adjusted to the darkness now, and she could see the scene in full. The first man looked nervous, like he didn't know what he was doing, he appeared to be the watch, not a good one at that. The second, was pointing a gun at the helpless woman, who was pinned against the side of the brick building._

 _She reached for the gun in her back pocket, wrapping her hand around it and pulling it out. She searched her mind wondering if she could take the two men, and she knew the one with the gun would be her only problem._

 _And she could take the one with the gun, but she needed a distraction for the guard, as she would never be able to slip past him. Very faintly she heard sirens in the distance, thanking whatever God above that the police had proved her wrong and were a little more efficient than the ones in Rosewood._

" _Jimmy, go check out the cop situation, I'll take care of our lady friend." The other one, most likely the leader barked out._

 _She heard the woman let out a sob, her hand covering her face and her eyes closing as she felt the gun press against her forehead, "Please, you know I won't tell anyone."_

 _The man laughed, "I'm sorry miss, but I don't tolerate witnesses." He moved forward, bringing the butt of the gun down on the woman's head._

 _Mary stepped forward into the alley, knowing it was now or never. "And I don't tolerate criminals who hurt defenseless women." She growled, hitting the man over the head with the end of her gun, never wanting to shoot unless it was necessary._

 _The man crumpled to the ground, unconscious. Mary bent down, picking up the gun he had dropped and slipping it into her pocket. She heard the once loud police sirens getting further away from her. She looked down at the man once more, smirking as she realized he got a taste of his own medicine._

" _Miss, Miss are you alright?" Mary asked, turning to the woman who had crumpled to the ground and was now slumped against the wall. She could hear the woman's heavy breathing and sobs, and upon moving closer, she could see that she was bleeding heavily from where the man had hit her._

 _Mary moved forward, applying pressure to the wound to stop the bleeding. The woman let a sob slip past her lips, not entirely sure where she was or who she was being held by. "My head, it feels like somebody hit me."_

" _I'm going to get help, I'm going to help you, you'll be okay." She muttered to the unknown woman, supporting her bleeding skull as she picked her up and carried her out to the street where she could inspect her in the light._

 _Mary looked down at the injured woman in shock, realizing where she had recognized that voice from earlier. The woman was Veronica Hastings, wife of Peter Hastings, mother of her child. "Veronica, why are you in New York?" She asked with confusion as she continued to apply pressure to her head wound._

" _I could–" Veronica let out a laugh weakly, "ask the same to you Mary."_

" _Don't talk, don't talk, I'm going to get you help, just lie still." Mary insisted, her past with the woman didn't mean anything in that moment, she knew she had to save her._

 _Veronica nodded weakly, groaning out in pain as she heard Mary yell to someone, anyone who could hear her. "Someone, please, help!" She looked back down desperately at Veronica who had tears slipping down her face as she faded out of consciousness. "This woman is dying!"_

" _Mary." Veronica said weakly, she was still in shock and a lot of pain, but she addressed the woman she had grown to hate anyway. "Tell, tell, Spencer I love her." She requested, knowing that her time was short, before slipping out of consciousness._

 _Mary shook the woman, feeling her pulse slow, and her breath hitch. She wasn't breathing, and Mary knew what she had to do. "You're not dying on me that easy you son of a bitch." She muttered, parting the woman's lips and leaning down to blow air into her lungs with urgency._

 _If Mary hadn't been trying to save Veronica's life, she might've enjoyed or even savored the moment. She had always had a small crush on the woman, and that might've been another reason she was so desperately trying to save her._

 _She took a breath of her own, "C'mon goddammit! Breathe!" She yelled, shaking the woman while still cradling her damaged head. She brought her lips back to Veronica's again, giving her one last round of oxygen before hearing a huge gasp come from underneath her._

 _Veronica reached up and hit the woman, "What the hell Mary?" The woman had kissed her, and if she hadn't been dying she might've enjoyed, or even savored the moment as she had always had a little crush on Mary._

 _Mary focused her attention to Veronica's body, making sure she wasn't hurt elsewhere, "You can thank me for that later by buying me dinner." Is all she said with a cocky smirk at the woman's face now growing with a blush._

" _Tell me you did not just ask me out while I'm lying here bleeding out in your arms." Veronica scoffed, finding Mary's timing impeccable._

* * *

"Wait, wait, hold on." Spencer interrupted Mary's story, finding it hard to believe that this had all been kept from her. "You're telling me my mother almost died in New York, and no one ever said a thing to me?"

Mary couldn't help but chuckle, "It seems like something they would keep from you, especially since you were only five or six at the time." In all honesty, she could imagine some other important things the Hastings had kept from the girl, but she figured those would come to light at another time.

Spencer smiled as she realized this story was like one out of a superhero movie. "So the first time you kissed her was to save her life?" It all sounded very daring and romantic.

"Yeah." Mary said with a small smile as she realized how unforgettable that moment still was to this day. "And all I got in return was a slap in the face."

This caused Spencer to burst out laughing in spite of herself, and that's when she realized the story wasn't over. "So, what happened next, did you get her to the hospital?"

Mary looked back at her daughter with a smile, "Well I was getting there until you interrupted me."

* * *

 _Mary tapped her fist on the door lightly, peeking her head into the hospital room the front desk told her was Veronica's. She found the woman lying in the bed, she looked better than she did yesterday, but was seemingly distressed as she talked on the phone._

" _Yes, no, Peter would you just listen to me!" She shouted into the phone, obviously fed up with the man on the other end of the line. "I just want to speak to my daughter, okay?" She said a little softer this time, her voice breaking. "I almost died and, I just want to hear her voice again."_

 _Mary heard a husky voice yell back on the other end of the line, but couldn't make out what it was saying. She wanted more than anything to be in the same room as Peter Hastings so she could punch him in the face._

" _Fine!" Veronica shouted finally. "Maybe I just won't come home!" She hung up the phone and threw it down on the bed, tears stinging her eyes in frustration._

 _Mary cleared her throat, her hands shaking slightly, causing some of the petals to fall off the flowers she were holding in her hands. "Is now a bad time?"_

 _Veronica looked up at her, wiping her tears as she put her phone back on the bedside table. "No, it's not a bad time at all." She said with a smile, having been able to hide her distress quickly. "Come in."_

 _Mary walked in cautiously, looking around the bright white hospital room and realizing it clashed with her all dark wardrobe. "I just came to check on you, and give you these." She handed the woman the bouquet of flowers, looking around the room and seeing it empty of any sort of heartfelt gift._

" _Thank you." Veronica said with a warm smile, genuinely happy that Mary had stopped by to visit her. Something about this whole experience made her see Mary in a different light. The woman was truly selfless, and she had saved her when she could've just as easily kept walking and left her to die. She could see Mary wasn't as mentally unstable as she once thought, she was intrigued by her._

" _The flowers? They were nothing, more of an afterthought actually." Mary explained, she became flustered around the woman, always had in the past too._

 _Veronica laughed, putting the flowers in a conveniently placed vase on her night table. "Not for the flowers, for saving me." She looked back up at the woman who seemed dumbstruck at the apology. "I'm grateful for you, that you just happened to walk down the same street I did."_

 _Mary smiled as she grew more comfortable with Veronica, sitting down on the bed next to her. "Yeah? Well you could've fooled me." She rubbed her face that was still sore from the woman hitting it just a few hours before. "Slapping people leaves a lasting impression on them, you know."_

 _Veronica blushed as she remembered about that, "I'm sorry for that, just, when I woke up to you kissing me I was really overwhelmed."_

" _You don't have to apologize, I'm just joking." Mary said with a smile, "If it makes you feel any better, you aren't that bad a kisser."_

 _Veronica couldn't help but chuckle, the woman's flirting made her smile for the first time in a long time. "Don't make me hit you again." She joked back, grabbing Mary's hand suddenly, causing the woman to look back at her._

" _Mary, why are you in New York?" Veronica asked cautiously, that question had been on her mind in the hours she had sat in the room alone._

" _I could ask the same to you." Mary said with a slight frown as she recalled the conversation she had overheard between the husband and wife. "Why aren't you home with Peter, and our daughter?"_

 _Veronica glanced at her, seeing the raw emotion she obviously still felt for her daughter "I had to get away from him, even if just for a business trip." She sighed, looking away from Mary now to hide her tears. "He won't talk to me, and he won't let me talk to her."_

 _Mary reached forward, wiping a tear off Veronica's face as she lifted the woman's head. "Hey, look at me." She said softly, and Veronica did. "He can't do that to you, and you shouldn't let him."_

 _Veronica wasn't hiding her tears anymore, "It's not like I can do anything from here in New York!" She argued, liking Mary's idea in hindsight, but knowing that even in Rosewood she wouldn't be able to stop him._

" _Call your sister, tell her to go over to the house and pick the girls up, she can watch them until you get back to Rosewood." Mary suggested the idea, not wanting to see the woman stress over this any longer. "Believe me, if I could, I would go to Rosewood myself and punch that man in the face. But it's too risky, it's too risky for me to even be out during the day."_

 _Veronica looked to the woman in concern, "Why? Are you on the run?" She asked, moving back against her bed to distance herself from the woman._

 _Mary chuckled, finally letting go of Veronica's face. "No, I just don't want anyone to recognize me, I don't want to run into any of my old doctors." She explained with a smile, realizing she had already run into Veronica, "And I'd appreciate if you kept seeing me here between us, and god forbid, never bring this up to Jessica or Peter."_

 _Veronica shook her head, moving back towards Mary a little closer now. "I won't, I promise." She looked at the woman's pain filled eyes, knowing that she had risked her life to save her, and now coming to visit her as well. She hated to admit it to herself, but she felt something for Mary._

 _Mary broke the silence by leaning forward slowly, bringing her lips to Veronica's in a slow, yet heated embrace. She prayed that she didn't get another slap to the face, but found that on the contrary, Veronica was kissing her back._

 _Veronica broke the kiss finally, Mary still leaning to capture her lips longer as she realized the woman had a smirk on her face. "What is it? Am I not as great a kisser as you imagined?"_

 _Veronica chuckled, tracing her hands around the sides of Mary's face, admiring the woman's soft skin and tiny dimples. "No, I just remembered something."_

 _Mary raised her eyebrows in curiosity._

" _I still owe you that dinner." Veronica said with a tiny chuckle, as Mary's lips upturned into a grin. A part of Mary admired Veronica for that sly move, and using her words against her to get a date._

 _She looked at Veronica's medical chart and noticed she wasn't discharged for another two days. But she still turned to the woman with a smile, "Why don't we order in tonight?" She suggested, leaning forward and leaving a small kiss on Veronica's cheek._

* * *

Spencer sat back, leaning against the wall and letting the information finally sink in with her. "So that's how the epic love story began." She said finally after sitting in silence for a moment or two. "You were the knight in shining armor that saved the damsel in distress."

"I guess you could say that" Mary said with a sad smile, she remembered that day like it was yesterday. "She might've been a damsel in distress, but she was my damsel in distress."

Spencer couldn't help but let out a simple "Aww." at the statement her mother had just made. She found the situation, while confusing and frustrating because she was lied to, still pretty sweet.

Mary blushed, wiping her tears that were now flowing down her face. She knew she would have to mention the break up part of the story eventually. "It was all perfect, and I loved her so much. There wasn't anything we couldn't face together, and then it all stopped."

Spencer's once wide smile had faded into a grimace, "Why?" If everything had been so perfect, why did it have to end, and why did Mary seem so broken up?

"I wasn't good enough for her anymore." Mary said sadly, looking away and over to the wall which she would soon seek freedom behind. "She had a life back in Rosewood, with you and Melissa, even Peter. I couldn't go back to Rosewood with her, not with my sister still there."

"So, she just up and left you?" Spencer asked in disbelief, trying to understand why her mother would do that.

Mary nodded, "She kissed me good morning, walked out of the apartment, and I haven't seen her since, not since those twenty years ago." She found that she was now clutching the pillow Alex has provided as Spencer's, her tears had soaked it.

Spencer pulled her mother into a hug, realizing how hard this must've been to relive. "You still love her?" She asked, feeling like she already knew the answer just by the way the woman had talked about her, by the way she looked when she thought about her.

Mary pulled away from Spencer, remembering back to where they were sitting and in what dire situation they were in. "I do, I love her, and if I ever plan on seeing her again we need to get back to the plan."

"You're right." Spencer said, looking down at her watch. "Alex has been gone nearly an hour now, she could be back at anytime, and I need to finish with that lock." She stood up from the bed, giving her arm some time to rest had done her good.

Mary remained sitting, knowing the best thing she could do to help the process, was to not do anything at all. Spencer worked the best when she was on her own, without help. "So, when we get out of here, are you going to tell Aria the truth?" She asked, feeling a little giddy knowing about her daughter's crush.

"That depends." Spencer said with a laugh. "Are you going to tell Veronica the truth?"

Mary's eyes widened at the thought of doing that. "Spencer I haven't seen her in twenty years! I'm not just going to stroll back into her life and say,

'Hey, by the way, I love you'!"

Spencer laughed again as she realized the woman was getting sarcastic with her now, "Well why not? What if she feels the same?"

"So are you just going to walk up to Aria while she's in her wedding dress and say, 'Don't marry your predator fiancé, I love you'?" Mary questioned her daughter, hoping she would see how bad an idea that was.

"Well, no." Spencer said, realizing she had no argument to counter that.

Mary nodded, deciding to give the Aria subject a rest and let her daughter work in silence.

But Spencer wasn't in silence, her mind was still racing with everything she had learned that very day. Between finding out she had an evil, british, twin sister, and finding out her two moms had been dating, her mind grew weary. She couldn't turn her brain off just yet, she had to get them out of there alive, and this was her only chance.

After another two minutes of fiddling with the bobby pin, the door popped open, and the metal wall was the only thing between the mother daughter pair, and freedom.

"You did it." Mary said proudly, standing up and pulling her daughter into a tight hug.

Spencer laughed, "Did you have any doubt I would?" Truthfully, she had her own doubts. The large metal locks on the door were some of the harder ones she had tried to pick, and she had barely done it.

Mary ran a hand through her daughter's hair, enjoying the fact that she could hold her, even if just for now. "No, I never had any doubt." She said, tears forming in her eyes again.

"Mom, what's wrong?" The younger woman didn't like to see Mary upset, ever.

"It's just, once we get out of here they're going to send me back to jail, and I'm never going to be able to hold you again."

Spencer had completely forgotten that Mary had been in jail, that Alex had broken her out. It just seemed like she had always been missing from her life, without her noticing or knowing why. She realized in that moment, she hadn't visited her mother once in the year she was gone.

Spencer pulled Mary into a hug again, "My mom and I will do our best to get you out, I'm not letting you go again." She racked her brain for any reason at all she could get Mary off her charges. She could say Mary saved her life, say that she had saved all Rosewood by stopping Alex's plan to go on a murderous rampage.

All of a sudden, they heard the metal wall begin to open. The first, and only thing they could hear from behind the wall as it was sound proof. They separated hastily, Spencer moving her arm just to check that it was intact still, knowing she would need to use it as soon as she got the chance to attack her twin sister.

Once the wall was open, Spencer bounded forward, Mary close behind as she was ready to protect and help her daughter by any means necessary.

"We've got you Alex! And you're not going to hurt anyone ever again!" Spencer said, gritting her teeth as she used all her strength to wrangle the woman into a choke hold. Mary was close behind, and it was she who saw their mistake.

"Spencer, what the hell? Who's Alex?" She heard a voice beneath her choke out. She recognized the voice suddenly, and pulled away in shock as she heard Mary scream out with equal parts fear and joy,

"That's not Alex, it's Veronica!"

Spencer turned around to face her other mother, tears falling down her face as she realized that they were safe. "You did it, you saved us!" She yelled, wrapping her arms around Veronica's neck.

Detective Tanner walked forward, happy upon seeing the happy family reunite, but she still had questions. "So what's the story Ms. Hastings, who had you captured here?" Mary and Spencer shot a glance to each other, both women creeped out by the detective as they always had been.

"You mean–?" Spencer asked, looking between the three women, before looking back to Mary, who was just as shocked as her daughter was.

"–You haven't found Alex?" Mary finished her question in shock, looking around the underground bunker before laying her eyes on the spot where the red emergency axe was once before. "Oh my god, she has an axe."

Spencer turned back to Veronica, "She wanted to hurt you, wanted to hurt all of us, we need to get out of here for our own safety!" She knew first hand how dangerous the girl was, and it didn't seem as if any of the authorities were taking this seriously. "My evil, British, twin sister is armed and dangerous on the loose, and you all are standing here!"

Mary looked up after hearing her daughter's outburst, having been staring at Veronica for a minute, too afraid to speak to her. "She's extremely dangerous, and had plans to kill Spencer and I, and plans to kidnap Veronica!" She yelled out in frustration, turning to a very fearful Veronica who still hadn't had a full understanding of this.

"I'm sorry ladies, but this evil british twin story is a long shot." Tanner said with a smirk. Out of all the stories she had heard in her past years, this was the craziest. "Not to mention one of you is an escaped convict."

Veronica pulled Mary back, stopping her from moving forward, so instead she yelled out. "Alex kidnapped me from prison, and locked me down here against my will with my other daughter!" She looked from Veronica to Tanner, and then to Spencer who she knew could back her up. "Why doesn't anyone believe us?" She asked miserably.

All of a sudden, the group turned as they heard a set of heavy footsteps and rattling chains come down the corridor. Mary grabbed onto Spencer, Veronica grabbed onto Mary as they watched in awe. Officer Maple came walking through, holding a very angry Alex in handcuffs. Spencer smirked, looking to Tanner who was dumbstruck.

"I'll get you, I'll get you both!" Alex yelled, thrashing and raving in the hold of Officer Maple. "You may think you're safe, but I'll find you sister, and I'll see you in jail mum, just see how long you last!"

Spencer moved forward, trying to approach her sister, but Mary pulled her back into her arms, as far away from the raving twin as she could. "I'm sorry things had to work out this way, Alex, I wish I would've gotten to know you." Spencer said calmly, feeling Mary's grip on her tighten.

"And I wish I had gotten the chance to kill you, all of you, including you Veronica!" She screamed back, those were her parting words as Officer Maple led her out of the dungeon, the other officers close behind.

Spencer turned to her moms, embracing them both. "It's over, it's finally over, she's gone." She sobbed out, never thinking she would get to see the day when it was finally over.

"I don't even know what to say. I don't know where to start." Veronica ran a hand through her daughter's hair, allowing her tears to fall freely. "How did you manage to pick the lock?" She asked, remembering distinctly how the door had already been open and she had nearly been killed by the pair.

Spencer continued to hold Veronica, turning a little and wrapping an arm around her other mother. "Thank god Mary had a bobby pin, or we might've been screwed." She said with a smile, really hoping this might bring the women closer.

She held out the bobby pin in her hand, pinning a strand of Mary's hair back with it. "You saved me, if you wouldn't have had this bobby pin, things would've gone so differently, if you wouldn't have been able to pop my shoulder back into its socket I wouldn't have been able to pick the lock. You saved us."

Mary felt tears falling down her face, "You're my daughter, and I love you, but I couldn't have saved us without your smarts." She pulled Spencer into the third hug of the night, knowing again that it might be the last time she could do so. "And before I go back to jail, I just wanted to let you know that I am so proud of you." She sobbed out, feeling her body grow weak with sadness.

"Please don't talk like that." Spencer begged, rubbing the woman's back. "You know I'm proud of you too." She could feel Veronica and Tanner's eyes searing into her back. "You're no criminal to me, you're a hero." She sobbed into her mother's shoulder.

"She is a hero." Veronica stepped forward, putting a hand on Mary's shoulder, and causing her to turn around. "Without her, Spencer would be dead, this whole town might be dead." She said more to Detective Tanner than to Mary, even though she was facing Mary.

Spencer let go of her mother, watching with a proud smile. "You really think so?" Mary asked, the tears in her eyes frozen there as she felt her heart beat so violently that she was afraid it was going to jump out of her chest.

"I know so." Veronica said, grabbing Mary's hands and looking her straight in the eyes. "You are the strongest, bravest, most selfless woman I've ever known. You've been a hero since you saved my life twenty years ago, and you still continue to save everyone's lives, twenty years later."

Mary didn't know what to say, the woman had left her years ago, but now she was doing her best to save her. "You remember?" She asked in disbelief, thinking that Veronica would've forgotten her in these past twenty years.

"Not a day goes by, that I don't think about you, and all you did for me." Veronica explained, tears in her eyes. She had hurt the woman so much, and doing this now was the least she could do to make up for it. "And because of your bravery and heroism, Mary Drake, by the power vested in me by the United States Senate, I grant you a pardon of your jail sentence."

"What? Really? You can just do that?" Mary asked in shock, she didn't realize the law worked like that, but it was in her favor, so she wasn't opposed to it.

"No, you can't just do that!" Detective Tanner stepped forward, trying to argue that this was unlawful, of course she wasn't actually sure if it was. Spencer was about to lunge forward, but Mary held her back.

Veronica laughed, "I'm the Pennsylvania state senator, and I'm allowed to grant a pardon a year." She explained with a smirk to the flabbergasted woman, "This is my pardon."

Detective Tanner looked at the happy family standing before her, realizing that there wasn't anything she could do anymore. She still hadn't wrapped her mind around Spencer having a very evil, very british, twin. She decided to just give it up, there was no way things in Rosewood would ever be normal, and she just had to accept it.

"You have one messed up family." Is all she said, shaking her head before she turned to leave, walking down the hallway of the bunker.

When they were finally alone, Mary spoke, "Damn, that woman gives me the creeps." She looked back at the door before Spencer burst out into laughter, as she had thought the same thing all along.

When she had finally calmed down from her laughing fit, Spencer turned to her mother, the one who had just nearly been saved. "Creepy detective aside, you're home, home for good."

Mary smiled at the thought, she was free. She didn't have to go back to that horrible prison, never had to see her twin daughter again, never had to worry about fighting for her life. It was all over, for both she, and Spencer, it was over.

"Let's get out of here." Spencer said with a smile, following Tanner's fading footsteps. She turned back to face her two mothers, seeing as they didn't move to follow her.

Veronica acknowledged her daughter's concern, "Go on ahead, give us a minute." She turned from Spencer, who was raising her eyebrows in suspicion, to Mary, who looked frozen in place.

Spencer gave in with a sigh, "Alright, but don't stay down here too long."

When they were finally alone again, silence filled the room and Mary could hear her own heart beating out of her chest. She felt as if it might burst, just from the way Veronica was looking at her. She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out.

"I've wanted to talk to you for a while actually." Veronica said with a smile, seeing that Mary was anxiously fidgeting back and forth.

"You have?" The older woman asked, her voice breaking into the weak tone she had tried so hard to rid herself of. She hadn't talked to Veronica like this since they were in their twenties.

Veronica nodded, grabbing Mary's hand with a sudden eagerness. She saw the woman naturally react to this sudden affection by flinching and almost pulling away. "I'm sorry, I realize how badly I hurt you in the past, and I have no right to come back now and impose this on you."

Mary shook her head, grabbing Veronica again. "No it's not you, it's me." She wanted more than anything to accept the affection the other woman was offering her, but she couldn't, her walls were building up around her.

Veronica reached forward, wiping a tear from Mary's face. She looked the woman in the eyes, she saw hesitance, fear, anguish. All of the horrible events of Mary's life, displayed plainly on her face, if only for a moment.

"I don't want to hurt you again." Veronica whispered, even her inch high heels didn't put her at a level height with Mary, and she found herself struggling to keep eye contact with the woman. "Just tell me what you want me to do, and I'll do it."

Mary grew confused upon seeing the woman so open and weak, wearing her heart on her sleeve. "You've already done enough for me, you saved my life." She said softly, knowing that Veronica wouldn't take this for an answer.

And the woman didn't, she wouldn't settle with just simply setting Mary free, she wanted to make an impact on her life. She wanted to make the woman happy again, wanted to heal the pain she had caused her. "What do you really want Mary? What's your goal in life, what would make you happy?" She asked, feeling her own tears slip down her face, despite her best attempt to keep them back.

Mary considered this for a moment, it was a very good question, one she hadn't given much thought to. "My family, finally feeling loved." She couldn't choose one thing specifically, but tried to summarize her thoughts. "I want to be a family with Spencer, and Alison and Emily, and the twins."

Veronica nodded, the sides of her mouth turning up. "That would make you happy?" She asked, this could be done very simply, her request wasn't a hard one as the girls already loved her.

"It would, but there's one last thing." Mary said, glancing up from her own hands, sweating heavily in Veronica's as they had shaken violently. She locked eyes with the woman, opening her mouth to speak but finding it suddenly dry.

Veronica's heart skipped a beat, the two wild heartbeats in tandem now as it seemed their bodies were connected as one. "Your wish is my command." The senator whispered out, her breath hot on Mary's neck, causing a shiver to run down her spine. She met Mary's gaze, watching as the older woman's eyes slowly flickered down to her lips.

Mary was extremely turned on at this point, her body working before her mind could catch up as she reached out desperately and pulled Veronica's body into hers until their noses were touching, lips just inches apart. Mary moved her hand up to Veronica's face, stroking her cheek affectionately while using her thumb to wipe away one of her tears. "That last part of my happiness, it's you." Mary confessed before tilting her head slightly, and closing the last remaining inch between them.

The sudden contact sent a jolt of energy between the two, lips fusing together hungrily as they made up for twenty years lost time. Veronica responded almost immediately, surprising herself, the caress of Mary's soft lips captivated her own, causing her to open her mouth with a low moan.

Mary took this as an invitation, she moved her arms from the back of the woman's neck, all the way down to her hip bones where she clung to her desperately and backed her up against a wall. "It's always been you." She whispered out breathlessly when they pulled apart, Veronica still pinned under her.

"I know." Veronica confirmed as she still had her arms wrapped around Mary, comfortably supporting her as she leaned in to devour the woman's lips once more. Mary moved her hands again, this time positioning them at the base of Veronica's neck, running her hands through the senator's light brown hair.

Spencer made her way back into the underground dungeon finally, watching in equal happiness and disgust as her mothers were in a full on make out session. "You two really need to get a room." She said with a slight chuckle, "Preferably one that's not down here."

Veronica pulled away from her lover breathlessly, turning to face her daughter as she realized they must've been down there for a while. "Spencer." She acknowledged the young woman finally, figuring she would want some sort of explanation.

"She already knows about us, I told her." Mary explained, a smile still spread wide across her face from the events that had just taken place. She grabbed Veronica's hand with confidence now, knowing that she would never have to be afraid to do so, ever again.

Veronica looked between the two, not understanding how they had possibly found the time to talk about her whilst being kidnapped, but she didn't question it. She was just happy that it spared them an awkward conversation with their daughter. She turned to look at Mary once more, she looked truly happy.

"C'mon Moms." Spencer said with a smirk, knowing she could get used to calling them that. "Let's go home."

Mary turned and put one arm around Spencer, the other around Veronica. This was her family, even if it was a little dysfunctional. "Hey honey?" She turned to Spencer, inquiring about something.

"Yeah mom?" Spencer was curious about what she might have to say.

Mary thought for a moment about how lucky she had been with Veronica, and wanted Spencer to have the same luck with Aria. "When you do decide to tell Aria the truth, let me know." She said with a smile, watching in satisfaction as Spencer's cheeks grew flushed.

Veronica turned to face their daughter now too, "Aria? After all these years you choose her wedding day to admit your feelings for her?" She couldn't help but laugh as she realized that both her daughter and her girlfriend had the worst possible timing when it came to these situations.

Spencer shrugged, "I can't help myself, I'm a hopeless romantic." She knew that her situation was indeed, hopeless.

Mary turned to the two women she loved, an idea forming, "It's time to go crash a wedding."

Spencer and Veronica looked between each other, and then back to Mary, not sure if they had just heard her correctly.

"Really? You would crash her wedding with me?" Spencer asked, seriously taking this into consideration. She knew that would be her last chance.

"Let's do it." Veronica said with a smile, she had waited for them to admit their feelings since they were kids. She had always just assumed both were too afraid to admit it to themselves, and now that Spencer had finally admitted it, she was ready to help. That, and she didn't like Ezra Fitz very much.

"Let's do it." Spencer confirmed, taking Mary's hand, and then Veronica's and walking out of the bunker, and into her unforeseeable future.


End file.
